Aberrant
by kairiluvzu830
Summary: Alternate telling of the second half of season four. Just at age 15, Raven had always been a lone survivor, an experienced killer of both walkers and humans. But all things change when she comes across three people. The life of survival in the apocalypse is never going to be the same again. Can she learn to trust these people? CarlxOC and maybe other pairings.
1. Chapter One: Struggles of Getting Lost

**SPOILER WARNING: **THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM SEASONS 1-4

Chapter One: The Struggles of Getting Lost

Raven pressed her shoulder against a rough tree to rest for a few seconds. She opened the map up again. _Was it really this way? No I should've been there by now. I've been walking in circles, haven't I? _She rolled her eyes and pushed down the thought. If she hated anything, it would be doing stuff for nothing. She adjusted her backpack's strap to her comfort and prepared to turn back.

Muffled voices, almost inaudible, came from her right. Raven peered into the distance, trying to see through the maze of trees. She didn't hear anything afterwards. It was so faint that she almost believed it was her imagination. But that couldn't be. Her senses were extremely sharp. _Well, it couldn't hurt to check._ She cautiously crept uphill to where the noise came from. She watched through a nearby bush as a blue truck pulled to a stop in front of what looked like a cabin.

Her eyebrows furrowed as two men hopped out of the truck and opened the backdoor. They yanked out tied up bodies and dropped them to the ground. One was a dark skinned woman, another whose face has gotten a serious beating and another who was a boy that looked like her age. The two guys dragged the bodies into the cabin and shut the door. Raven exhaled and rubbed her face in exhaustion. Could she manage to free these people with so little energy? Normally, she would've been back home two hours ago, but taking a wrong turn caused one serious detour. Walking for miles could really drain out a person.

Raven has spotted many living people who were scavenging the area, looking for shelter. However, she ignored them, not wanting to have to take care of them, or worse, be reliant on them. If she couldn't protect _them…, _she couldn't protect anyone. But this was different. It wasn't up to those captives to decide if they wanted to live or not. No matter what they did, in their current condition, they will end up dead. Unless she goes out there.

"Damn it." She muttered and ripped a patch of dying grass from the dirt in frustration. Raven crept to the side of the cabin, making sure that she wasn't in range of sight from the window. She took a peek inside and caught a glimpse of one of the men dumping the bodies into a room towards the back.

She heard the other one say, "You sure you saw they got a lotta firepower?"

The man slammed the door and locked it. He smirked and spat at the floor. "I know what I saw, Steve. Saw them weeks ago carrying bags of guns. Once we get their base whereabouts, we won't have to go for supply runs. Ever. We'll be set for life." The guy spun in her direction, making her turn from the window. _They better be alive._

* * *

Carl wasn't sure when he regained consciousness, but he had heard a door slam shut. The first thing he saw was his father and Michonne lying on the wooden floor tied up. He went to reach out to shake them, but found that he too was bound. They were in some plain, bedroom that was completely unrecognizable. Making sure that no one outside the room could hear, he whispered, "Psst! Hey!" The two remained motionless. He tasted blood on his lips. Finally, the memory of him being knocked out came up. He couldn't just wait for them to wake up.

Carl rolled to the wall painfully. Whoever captured them, they must have thrashed pretty hard. To stand, he had to work with both legs in unison. Suddenly, his weight crashed on him and he landed with a thud. Cringing, he prepared to stand again. His actions were cut off by voices. "Did ya here that? One of them might've woken up." "I'll check it." The creeks of the floorboard inched closer. His eyes desperately scanned the room for something sharp. He was about to scramble for a fallen pen when he heard knocks. Not from the room they were in, but further out. _Daryl? Glenn? Someone from the group?_

To see through the window of the door, he jumped onto the bed and kneeled. He craned his neck up high to see through. One of the guys was notably large and was blocking almost the entire doorway. But the person there was fairly short. After moving his head around, he finally saw that it was a girl with short black hair wearing a dirtied dark pink hoodie. His eyes widened and watched frozen with fear.

* * *

One guy opened the door slowly. Raven's eyes drifted past him and saw the other man close to the door where the captives were held. He made his voice sound genuine, very different from how he spoke a minute ago. "What can I do for you, sweetie?"

She plastered a scared expression on herself. "My daddy! I can't find my daddy! Have you seen him?" Her acts especially went well with her tiny height.

The man looked back and his friend, who shook his head. It was clear that they believed her, or they'd at least try to hide that motion. She had to resist smirking. The man smiled, "Sorry little lady, I haven't." Now she looked down in disappointment. She rubbed the hilt of her knife that she held behind her back. _Play it smart, Raven. Wait for the right timing._ "And you should be going back to your home or something, it's getting dark and scary out here."

The other man chuckled and turned towards the captives' door. _Now. _With lightning speed, she struck his throat with the knife. Hot blood trickled over her whole right hand. She said, still with her angelic voice, "I see." He silently pleaded for her to stop. Now she spoke normally, with sheer coldness, "That's a shame." The other guy whirled at that. Raven pulled the dead body back outside.

She heard the other guy shout something back, his stomping getting closer. She whipped out the blade from the corpse and dodged his grasp by an inch. "Too slow." She said as she kicked his head into the window. It shattered almost completely. The heavy glass pierced his neck and head. Raven's eyebrow raised as the man jerked his body from the glass. He was too weak, unfortunately for him. Raven took him by the hair and brought his neck down on her knee. With that, he collapsed on top of his friend.

The 'No Mercy' rule was something that her father had once taught her when the infection first came around. He said anyone who plans to do wrong must be stopped at all costs. She couldn't risk leaving any survivors. They'd just come back and kill them all. But Raven also followed her own rule. Upon discovering that a person becomes a zombie no matter how they die, she always struck them in the head. So she did just that to both men.

She cleaned her knife on the shirt of the man and walked into the cabin. The boy was looking through the window and was trying to say something. Raven came forth and gave him a puzzled look.

It became clear what he was trying to say as another person came out of the shadows. Caught off guard, the man pushed her down to the wooden floor, her knife spinning from her hand. She caught his hands just as he came down on her with a dagger of his own. Their hands trembled as the point inched closer to her face.

She swung her arms back and the knife stabbed the wood. Her fist connected with his eye, sending him backwards, but he was ready to spring back at her. Quickly, she yanked the knife from the floor and threw it at the man's head. He went limp and fell forwards onto his face, pushing the blade even further into his head. _Gross._ Normally, she'd take the weapons that he had, but she was definitely not touching that. But, she did pick up her own blade.

It was actually a dual blade. The other half was resting in the left sheath of her belt. Usually she only took it out for emergencies or dealing with zombies. But two men didn't strike her as life-threatening. It was made completely of titanium, besides the rubber grip. The material, plus her strength and skill, equals invincible.

Not wasting any more time, she unlocked the door. Only the boy was conscious, but he was still wrapped tightly by the rope. The men must have stripped them from all of their weapons, or this boy would've been unbound by now. Raven knelt by his side and turned him around (not gently either). She slashed through the knot, so the rope would still be usable. He unraveled it and tossed it beside him.

Raven felt his eyes on her as she worked on freeing the other two and for some reason felt a bit nervous. Finally she blurted out, "What?" He didn't say anything, but shook his head as if he said _what are you talking about? _He probably thought she was a psycho for killing those men, but murders like that she wasn't sorry about. If she were to have sympathy for such people, she'd have been dead years ago.

She finally cut through the knots and collected the ropes. Raven stood while zipping up her bag and exited the room without another word. She opened the other rooms to loot them. Of course, the guys here had guns and knives. _Sweet, a katana. _She smiled as she examined the sword. _And it's a sturdy one too. _Raven stuffed the weapons in a duffle bag she'd found. It seemed a lot for just three people, which means more people should be on their way here. She quickly strode to the kitchen and took everything. They had a lot of can foods which should last her two weeks. Maybe this little rescue mission wasn't that bad. Part of her wanted to say bye to that boy, but she knew she couldn't involve herself with anyone at all. She didn't warn him about the possibility of other robbers returning. If they weren't strong enough to wake up from a knockout by then, then maybe it's better to die there than being torn apart by the zombies. So she walked out the front door.

She was already among the trees when she heard the boy call out, "You're just gonna leave?" She turned her head and was surprised to see all three people standing by the doorpost. Raven considered running down the hill in that instant, but her feet remained planted on the ground.

The older man stepped forward, which began to worry her. When he had come too close, she pulled a handgun out of her belt. To be honest, she wasn't much of a shot from far, but when it's this close, she was confident in getting a headshot. He didn't seem to be shaken at all; as if everyday someone pointed a gun at him. The other two stepped forth quickly, looking helpless because they had nothing to defend themselves, but the man stopped them with a hand gesture. He spoke calmly, "Thank you for getting us out of there." She gave a short nod. "We've been on the run for a while. Haven't had much to eat, except whatever comes by." Raven knew where this was going. They were just like the rest of the humans; blindly dependent on others, even if they were strangers. "If you happen to have shelter somewhere, it'd really help if we could-"

She shoved the gun into her belt and turned around, not wanting to waste anymore time. The rustling of grass behind her indicated that they were serious. "We're not helpless."A female voice stepped in. "We know how to fight and I _know _you have our weapons." Raven saw her shake her empty sword sheath. That sparked some interest. Having a sword-wielder could be useful if she ever ran out of bullets. However, Raven still didn't know if she was skilled or not.

The man spoke again. "Just for a little while. Please." To be honest, she needed help getting back home, since she was pretty lost. Raven made up her mind. These people are going to help her get back and if she thought they were worthy survivors, she'd let them stay. If they ever made a funny move, it's a bullet to the brain for all of them.

"Well let's get a move on. It'll be another two hours or so til we get there." Raven said, as she whipped the katana out of the duffle bag and tossed it to the girl. To be fair, she also gave the two guys guns, simple ones that shouldn't kill someone unless they were shot in the head. She knew one of them was going to bring up the truck that they used. She put a hand to stop them. "I already checked and looted the car. It's low on gas; it's not worth trying to drive through these trees." They nodded and slipped into silence. Then Raven realized that they were waiting on her. "I really hope this is the right way." She muttered just loud enough for the people to hear as she tried to read her map.

* * *

Their names were Rick, Michonne and Carl. It was a good thing that they know how to use maps and stuff. Apparently, they were split up from a larger group of survivors. They used to live in a prison, until some crazy dude blew the fence up. Raven would've expected that; a prison covers too much distance, it would be impossible to protect it from all sides. They didn't seem like bad people. Then again, the world is a deceitful place. She was a bit worried about having a boy her age in the group. Not many children can handle this world like she can (not to brag).

The three were panting and trying to conceal their fatigue. Raven was aware that they got a bad beating and hadn't eaten in hours, so she understood that. Plus, she could use this time for some resource evaluation. She stopped moving and faced them. When she turned their tired expressions changed. "You guys need some food. Why don't we hunt for some stuff?"

Carl pointed out, "But didn't you find any stuff in the cabin?"

"Not stuff that can be eaten alone." She lied. Carl and Michonne looked fooled, but Rick was a bit puzzled. He was pretty sharp. He probably worked as a detective or policeman back in the day, which would explain Carl's hat. "You guys know how to hunt, right?" She challenged him. Now he couldn't back out. She suppressed her smirk; sometimes she enjoyed cornering people. It's a kid thing.

"Of course we can." Rick nodded. He nudged his son in the shoulder. "You help scout for any meat. Michonne and I will look for some plants." _Not bad. _She thought to herself. _He seems like a man with a plan. _So the group got to work.

For a while, Raven just stood watching Rick and Michonne scavenge the bushes and trees for vegetation. Getting a little bored, she checked on Carl, who was even more bored. "I haven't seen an animal in days." He said, looking at the beautiful view of the hills of trees, miles in the distance.

"Really? I mean sometimes deer pass by where I live." She usually didn't kill them unless she was desperate.

He chuckled. "You know the last time I saw a deer, I got shot through it." He pointed at his stomach. Raven was shocked at that, wondering who the medical assistant in that incident was. Usually these days, you get a fatal wound, you're done for. "So I think it's safe to say that deer are bad luck for me."

"Are you saying that my house would be bad luck?"

He was taken aback. "No! I-I'm just saying that-"

Raven laughed at his stuttering. "Jokes, jokes. Loosen up, will you?" She patted his shoulder and caught a glimpse of his smile. _Boy, is he cute. _She mentally kicked herself. She hadn't thought something like that for months, back when life was easier. She can't afford to be distracted by him.

They made their way back to Rick and Michonne, who seemed to be admiring a pretty looking flower. It had bell-shaped purple petals and a yellow seed. It looked extremely familiar to Raven. Before the apocalypse, she spent lots of time learning about everything the world had to offer. Botany was one of them. They took a small bite from the plant, just to check it out. As Carl and Raven got closer, she saw it better.

Immediately, she broke into a sprint. "Don't eat that!" She shouted, startling the two. They threw the flowers on the ground.

They spit as much as they could out of them. Raven whipped out a canteen of water and poured it into their mouths and instructed them to gargle. Michonne spat and panted heavily. "What was that?"

"Belladonna. It's a poisonous plant. You have to get everything out _now._" She stressed the urgency. She didn't mention how it was one of the deadliest flowers in the western hemisphere. She thought she should spare the details. "Did you swallow anything?"

Rick and Michonne exchanged some looks. Michonne answered solemnly, "Yes. Only a bite, though."

_Lovely. _She put her hair behind her ear, like she did when she was nervous. Carl spoke, "What, can that actually be harmful? Only a bite?"

"It shouldn't kill you if it gets treated. But considering how weak you two are from fatigue and injuries…" They stared at her. "Let's just say we better get some shelter." They hastened their pace this time around, trampling over the bitten belladonnas.

* * *

Raven was a yard in front of the three. Finally, she spotted a little curved cliff up ahead that should keep them hidden. "Down here." She pointed to the place.

Rick was the first to drop, which was mostly because his recent injuries. He fell on one knee and Carl tried to catch him. "Dad! C'mon we're almost there." Raven rushed to his side and helped Carl carry him by the arms.

"You doing okay, Michonne?" She glanced at her sweating face, which wasn't looking too good.

However, she shrugged it off. "I'll be fine." Raven liked that solitary attitude of hers. It reminded her of herself.

"Good. We're getting closer." Raven said as they continued.

Soon enough, growls were heard in the vicinity. A few zombies were roaming towards the cliff-cavern. "Walkers." Rick muttered. _Walkers? People never seem to run out of names for them._

The number was manageable; only six of them. "I'll handle this." Raven said reaching for her duel daggers.

Carl grabbed her arm to stop her. "I'm going with you."

"No. Stay here and take care of these two." She demanded and began walking down the hill. "Got it?"

He had a reluctant tone, but finally he said, "Got it." She saw that dishonest look in his eyes. She'd better make this quick before he could interfere. Even though this was a perfect opportunity to see how well he is in combat, having Rick and Michonne in bad condition isn't the safest test.

"Good." She ran down the hill, which alerted the crowd of walkers. Raven brought a knife down on one's head and thrust the body towards another one. Before one could bite her from behind, she swung her knife backwards, digging the point into its forehead. As she yanked it out, she felt the satisfying thud of the body.

"Raven!" Carl shouted from afar. She barely caught sight of the walker coming from her right. Her knife slid into the corpse's mouth as she fought to keep it back. Raven ducked from its thrashing arms. She pushed from her legs and smashed the head to a tree. The blade sliced through the head and connected with the tree trunk. Blood sprayed all over her cheek.

She was surprised to feel the rumble of a body drop behind her. She jumped away as a reflex. It was Carl, holding a small bloody knife. She felt the urgency to scold him, but her priority was getting rid of the last two walkers.

"Wait." A brittle Michonne put her hand on Raven's shoulder. Confused, she lowered her weapon. She unsheathed her sword and chopped off the zombie's outstretched arms. She then proceeded to take out its teeth by smashing its mouth on a large, nearby rock. _Why not just kill it? _"You still have that rope from before, right? Mind if I use two of them?" Raven shrugged with indifference, but she really didn't see what was going on. As Michonne began to tie a noose around the walker's neck, Rick caught the last one and began the same process. "Having harmless walkers can hide human scent." She said to Raven.

Raven smiled and it clicked. "Like a walking shield. Very nice strategy."

"Thanks." She tightly knotted the noose. "Made it up myself." She handed the end of the rope to Carl and helped Rick finish the second one.

Sweat dripped from their faces and Raven knew that the poison would be taking action soon. Raven quickly tied the rope ends on her belt. "C'mon." She wrapped Michonne's left arm and Rick's right around her shoulder, along with Carl's help. Soon they reached the shelter. She placed them against the stone wall. She put down the duffle bag and a few can foods. "Carl and I are gonna look for an herb. I think I have an idea of where to find it. It's about a mile east from here. We'll be back in a few-"

"Absolutely not. We have to stick together. We can rest to regain some strength and then continue on to your place." Rick said. His words were slurred a little, which made Carl a little uneasy.

"There's no time for that. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to keep you alive." She stared Rick down. It was clear that he was deciphering if she was safe to leave his son with. "We're going." She spun and pulled Carl away. She tied the walkers to trees, which should keep them safe from walkers.

"You come straight back here." Rick warned to their backs. "If anything happens to him, you won't be forgiven."

Raven snorted. "If anything happens to me, then you're all screwed. But luckily, I'm pretty damn stubborn when it comes to survival." Michonne was giggling a little bit as she reclined on a gray stone and Raven wasn't sure if it was because she agreed with her or she was starting to hallucinate from the sickness. She hoped it was the former.

"We'll be back as soon as possible." Carl assured him as they walked off.

… … … … …

… … … … …

**Welcome to my first Walking Dead fanfic! First off, if you're reading this, thank you for giving my story a chance. If you guys want more, leave a review and follow! It helps me out a lot. :) Stay awesome**

**~Beanie Wayland**


	2. Chapter Two: Just a Burden

Chapter Two: Just a Burden

The sky was turning auburn. The two teens, who were exhausted already, trudged through the seemingly never-ending path of trees. What was even better was the fact that the location of the remedy was off course from her house. Does the world just not want her to get home? "I know you said you didn't find food that could be eaten alone back at that cabin, but-"

Raven shook her head. "It was sort of the truth. I mean green beans without any kind of bread? Torture." She handed a can to Carl. He was a bit confused when he accepted it. "I secretly left some food with Michonne. I figured she'd understand why I couldn't tell you I had food. Your dad on the other hand, he seems about ready to bite my head off."

Carl poured some beans into her hand and some into his mouth. "He's not as bad as he seems. He always needs to be over-protective."

"Yeah, I know how the role of a 'dad' works. I used to have one too." She was surprised at how lightly she was able to say that. She popped the beans into her mouth.

His eyes meant apology. "He was the leader at our old group. Playing it the safest way is his specialty."

"I see. I'm sure whatever happened back there wasn't his fault." Carl nodded in agreement. "So I hope he's not blaming himself for it." A voice in her mind was yelling _hypocrite _to her words. She's blamed herself for deaths, which she still hasn't gotten over.

Carl's blue eyes were hidden behind his hat. "I think my dad's just really on edge 'cause we lost my sister." She thought she heard his voice trembled a little.

_Shit. Way to go, Raven. You always end up hurting someone, don't you? _She tried putting some comforting words together in her head. "Carl…"

A sudden crackling of leaves bring her thoughts to a halt. She put her arm out to stop Carl. She soundlessly pulled him behind a bush. They stared all around, waiting for something to pop up. She pulled out her blades and he took out his gun. She heard faint voices, not exactly growls. Carl heard it too and gave a single nod in its direction. Raven slowly shook her head, hoping that he would see that she advised him not to make contact with them,

He seemed torn between what to do. She tugged him onwards, not wasting any more time getting the herbs. Her heart skipped a beat with surprise as Carl said aloud. "Daryl?" Raven whirled on him with a furious look. He mouthed the words _calm down, _which didn't change her expression.

A pretty blonde and a guy with a crossbow were staring at Carl with disbelief. The guy had a crooked smile. "Son of a bitch…"

Carl stepped around the bushes. The girl embraced him tightly, making Raven turn away in awkwardness. "You're okay." Her voice was muffled into his shirt. Raven peeked and saw them still hugging. _Guess he's already taken. _She felt deflated, but not devastated; boys weren't really her thing anyways. She thought guys were nice to look at, but never felt the warmth of anyone's arms like that. Wow, she must be lonelier than she thought. When the girl finally let go, she asked him, "Is Rick with you?"

He nodded, but didn't grin. "And Michonne. They're resting under this cliff we found." He jabbed a thumb in its direction. "They ate some poisonous flowers, so we were on our way to finding medical herbs."

"We?" She repeated. Raven rolled her eyes. Had she really not noticed a drop-dead gorgeous woman standing there? Her eyes met Raven's. "Oh…"

"This is Raven. She saved us from a group of bandits a few hours ago." Then he spoke to Raven. "And this is Daryl and Beth. They were part of the prison's group." Daryl gave one of those badass head nods while Beth smiled.

"Hi." Raven said flatly. She didn't want to sound rude, it's just that now the group may be extended another two members. Another two mouths to feed and another four legs to carry. "Sorry, I know you guys wanna catch up on your lives and stuff, but we still need to fetch those remedies…like now." They nodded, looking a little anxious. "Carl, take Daryl back to Rick and Michonne. Beth can come with me to find the herbs."

He seemed a little worried about leaving her with Beth. Actually, most likely the other way around. "Wouldn't it be better if we all went together?"

"We're taking too long. I need you to make sure they're okay. If they get a fever, use these." She tossed an almost empty bottle of painkillers at Carl. It rattled in his hands. "Don't hate me for not leaving it with them; it's my last pair of pills." Raven motioned for Beth to come after her. When Raven turned away, Carl looked like he had something to say, but they were already on the move.

Raven moved with a fast pace for two reasons; they needed to find the herbs quickly and it was funny seeing Beth trying to keep up with her. Raven ducked the thick branches and vines swiftly, but Beth had to swat everything out of the way. "Do you know what devil daisies are?" Raven asked the girl.

"Um…the flowers that cause itchy skin?" She guessed in between pants.

She was sort of right. "Yeah, but used in the correct way, it rids migraines. It should help ease the belladonna poison because it mainly affects the blood vessel areas." She glanced at Beth. "What do you think?" She was so far that she didn't here that last part. "We're almost there. You can sort of smell it now." She said a little louder. They don't exactly have a wonderful scent, but it's better than smelling dead bodies.

Raven caught sight of the red flowers ingrained on the ground. She sighed with relief; there should be enough to cover the illness. "Are those it?" Beth asked as she gladly stopped moving.

"You bet. Pull the whole root out; we need as much nutrients as we can get." Raven instructed. Both girls pulled out all five flowers carefully, not wanting to waste anything. Raven clapped her hands to get rid of the soil. Mission accomplished. "Alright, let's get moving." She power-walked once again. They were silent as they navigated around the trees. She was exhausted from everything that happened today, which should be understandable to anyone; travelling extra miles, killing some people, carrying looted supplies. She gave up on walking fast and Beth caught up to her. To fill the silence, she asked about something that was itching around her mind. "So are you and Carl, like…you know?"

Beth smiled with embarrassment, "No no no, we've just known each other for a really long time. Besides, I'm five years older than him, he's almost like a brother to me." Raven nodded, but felt some sort of ecstasy inside.

"And you're how old? Eighteen? Nineteen?" Raven asked as casually as possible.

"I should be turning twenty soon." Beth replied. Raven made the silent _ahh_ motion with her head. So Carl was her age. That's good news. She just hoped that Carl didn't think she was younger. She'd always been 'vertically' challenged. With her height, someone could've easily thought she was twelve. "You know you're a really beautiful girl."

Raven looked at her, stunned. No one had ever called her beautiful, except for her parents. But that's kind of their job. She'd hoped that the first one to call her beautiful would be a guy, but people can't be picky. "Thank you, Beth." She felt a kick in the gut for being jealous of her before.

Beth suddenly grinned to herself and tried to hide it from her. Raven, very curious to know, inched closer. "What?"

She still beat around the bush. "Don't worry about it." She gave a knowing wink at Raven. Well now she knows. At least, if Raven needed someone to talk to, she had her.

Raven smiled back at her. It was nice to be around another girl. It was rare for her to make contact with humans nowadays, even more so, being able to converse with them. "We're almost there."

* * *

Finally, Raven spotted the small cliff up ahead. The two, tied walkers were swaying by the trees. She and Beth hurried all the way down to them. Carl, Daryl, Rick and Michonne were all there. Carl's tone sounded urgent. "Did you find it?" Raven and Beth showed him the daisies as a reply.

Raven knelt in between Rick and Michonne, who were lying down, making little movement. She pressed the back of her hand to their foreheads and was surprised at the warm temperature; she would've thought they'd be burning up by now. "You used the pills?" She said to Carl with her head half turned.

He sounded guilty. "I'm sorry, their temperatures were getting out of control-"

"I didn't give them to you for nothing. It's okay." Raven said to plug up his guilt. Looking into those worried, blue eyes was becoming too much. She said to Rick and Michonne, "Normally this would taste better as tea, but we're obviously running a tight schedule." She divided the amount of flowers in each of their hands. Both of them had their eyelids nearly closed and seemed to have no more strength. So Raven helped them crush the petals and stem and fed it to them. Rick managed to choke it down, but Michonne almost spit back everything. Raven stopped her. "You have to swallow, Michonne." She looked as if she was going to rip Raven's hair off, but she did as told. She looked at Beth, Daryl and Carl with content eyes. "They'll be fine in time."

Beth and Carl offered to help Rick and Michonne drink some water. Meanwhile, Daryl and Raven sat outside for some fresh air. She was studying him secretly as he was spinning an arrow around his hand. She hadn't seen anyone that could use a crossbow before. Raven spoke out first. "How do you manage to survive with only ten arrows?"

He shrugged as if it were the simplest thing. "Usually I reuse the arrows when I shoot. But I'm a good shot with a gun and knives are another option." Raven acknowledged his combat skills. Using arrows is convenient if you want to avoid noise. Carl's gun had a silencer on it. Those things are hard to come by. "You ever used one before?"

Raven had to dig through her memories of the pre-apocalypse era. "I've used a regular bow and arrow before." She laughed a little and lay back against the stone. "And boy was I good at it. My gym teacher thought she knew what she was doing and was shooting arrows everywhere but near the bull's eye. So I shot it from thirty feet away and got it for her. Embarrassed her in front of the whole class." She had pretty good memories of school. But then she remembered those awkward middle school years and shuddered. At least she got a taste of high school before this all started.

Daryl snorted. "I can't recall the last day of school but I'm pretty sure it ended something along the lines of me saying to my chemistry teacher 'you remind me of my small toe, 'cause I'd bang you on a coffee table'." Raven's jaw dropped at first, and then she burst out laughing. He was chuckling a bit too. "I wasn't exactly expelled, but the face she had when I said that was too damn terrifying to look at ever again. Maybe that's why looking at walkers is easy for me."

She forced herself to push back the laughter. "Badass then, badass now, right?"

"Exactly." He said putting his arrow back into its slot. These people were easy to talk to. Maybe they could live with her after all. She thinks they passed the survivor's test. Raven closed her eyes from the darkening skies. It was nice to taste humanity again.

* * *

Gone. Every single thing was gone when she had woken up. Raven scrambled inside the cave for anything. But there were no weapons or food in sight. Her back pack and duffle bag were long gone. She punched the wall in frustration, sending jitters up her arm. Raven examined her bloody knuckles, sprinkled with small pebbles.

She was a fool to think anyone could ever care for her. Everyone who had loved her was dead. The world is a bitter place. She was taught to trust no one when she was young and now she learned the hard way. Raven was left alone; hungry and defenseless. Her panicked breaths were followed up by teary eyes.

Over her hitched breathing, she heard growling fairly close. She reached for her duel blades and found nothing. _Of fucking course. _The zombies had already caught her scent. A couple of them were cornering her to the stone wall.

_No. _She wasn't going down like this. Raven blinked her blurred vision away and felt hot tears squeeze out from her eyes. The first walker that lunged at her was kicked in the stomach and smashed to the wall. Another snapped its teeth at Raven's face, just late enough to miss. Raven kicked its head to the wall, squashing it like a dropped watermelon.

Hissing rang in her left ear. She whirled but was pushed against the wall by a large walker. Its mouth engulfed over her shoulder. Before it bit down, she gripped its head and fought to keep it up. Her muscles were screaming to its limits. The walker's skull cap cracked and began to tear open. Before she could even breath, she felt it's teeth sink into her shoulder. Its overwhelming pain made her release her grip, allowing it to sink even deeper. Tears, walker blood, her blood- whatever was all over her face, blocked her vision.

_Snap out of it!_

"Raven!" Raven didn't open her eyes. She didn't want to see the opaque, bloodthirsty eyes again. She tried yanking her wrists from the zombie's grasp. "It's me. It's okay." He said.

It's Carl. Her tightly shut eyes opened slowly. The only thing she could feel was relief. Relief that he was there. Relief that she was alive. And somehow her arms were around his neck. Everything felt all fuzzy to her. Was it day or night? She was staring at a black sky, but was still unsure.

"You're still here." Raven said gladly into the crevice of his neck and shoulder. She felt something wrap around her waist. It was warm and comforting, feelings she hadn't felt in forever. Though she couldn't see anything but black, she enjoyed the warmth.

Raven felt small rumbles from Carl's chest and listened to faint sounds of laughing. "I'm still here." The soothing warm touch stroked her back gently.

_I'm still here…_

* * *

Raven's heart rate double as her eyes shot open. She had fallen off a rock and was sprawled out on the ground. She groaned and rubbed her aching back. Sleeping on stone felt more uncomfortable than having casual conversations with adults. There was a jean jacket by her side. She must have knocked it over when she fell. That explains why she was getting a colder. _Whose is this? _She wondered to herself.

"Morning." She heard Carl greet as he approached her.

Raven rubbed her still-sleepy, green eyes. "Morning." She greeted back. She stretched out her cramped arms and felt breeze flow into her hoodie's sleeve. Shivering, she snuggled back into the warm jacket, like a turtle.

Raven heard Carl's light tone say, "When you're ready, we have some beans and soup for breakfast." She tried to say something, but her mouth muscles were completely shut down. She nodded and hoped he saw it.

After another ten minutes of resting, she ripped herself from the grasp of the earth. They were still by the cliff-cave and the sun was on the rise. _I guess I just knocked out, huh. _Well, at least she got a good rest. She spotted Beth and Carl eating breakfast together under the cliff. Raven plucked the jacket up and went to join them. As she opened a can of green beans (ugh), she asked them, "How's Rick and Michonne?"

Beth answered, "A lot better. They're out with Daryl looking for some food and stuff." She nodded and was glad to hear that they recovered.

Carl added, "And also they're looking for any of our group members." Raven's eyebrow rose at that. "When it was just me, Michonne and dad, we searched around three times a day. Obviously, we had no luck though."

Raven's lips thinned and she put her can down. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Perhaps she should just let them go. They have a larger number now and they're capable of surviving. If her group got bigger now, she wouldn't be able to protect them all. And she couldn't bear seeing another death…

Carl noticed her deep in thought. "Something wrong?" Raven exhaled loudly and shrugged it off. "Are you still thinking about your dream?"

She looked at him with confusion. "What?"

He stared at her for a long time. Raven really didn't know what he was talking about. She very faintly remembered seeing something last night, maybe, but she never told him about it…had she? "Never mind." He said leaning back against the wall. His face looked a little twisted with emotions.

He was only wearing a blue t-shirt. In this 40 degrees weather, he must be feeling a little chilly. Then Raven paused to think. She held up the jean jacket. "This is yours, isn't it?" He nodded and reached for it. "Thanks." She said as she passed it over.

"It's not exactly the fluffiest blanket, but it does the job." He put his arms through the sleeves and fixed the collar. She watched him button it up and noticed how interesting he looked. The indent of his collarbone was deep. His biceps were small, but they were visible. He was about as strong as he seems. She wondered how it must feel to be held in those arms…

"How far is your place from here?" Beth said to her. Raven turned her head in her direction, but her eyes were still fixed on Carl. "Raven?"

"Hmm?" She said, finally giving her full attention. "Oh, less than an hour walk." After being snapped into reality, she noticed that her beans were still not finished. She gulped them down and headed outside.

Raven sat alone outside and just watched the trees swing back and forth. There was some chirping amongst the branches. She was used to staring into the world by herself. It didn't bother her; it just gave her a peaceful mind set. Otherwise, she would have gone completely berserk by now. It takes a glimpse of beauty to keep one humane these days. Of course it would be a little more beautiful if there weren't two armless, mouthless zombies groaning in the scene.

Soon she saw three figures coming down a hill from her left. Rick, Michonne and Daryl were back, but with no one else. Raven was angry at herself for the happiness that flooded into her. She crossed one leg over the other as they approached. She kept her voice in a disappointed tone. "No luck, huh?" Rick shook his head, but wasn't showing any sad emotion. He was used to ending up with nothing. "At least you two are on your feet again." She offered a small, optimistic smile.

Rick and Michonne smiled a little in return as well. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have seen daylight again." Rick said sincerely. Gratitude was something she hadn't really received in a long time, besides when she saved them yesterday. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Raven said. Carl and Beth joined the group outside.

Rick rubbed his stubbled chin and Raven knew he was figuring out what he wanted to say. "I know you were reluctant to take us in yesterday. I know it seems like we're weighing you down after last night." _Oh no. Not this. _She still hadn't decided if she would take them all in or not. But judging by their closeness, it was either all of them or none of them. "Beth is experienced with medication. Her father was able to take a bullet out of my son's chest." Carl looked away in shame and remembrance. "Daryl is a fine hunter. He brings in meat every other day. We're all capable of helping out in some way. We just need a stable shelter-"

"Okay."

Everyone around Raven was stunned. It was clear that they were worried she wouldn't take them in. Even Raven was shocked at her own words. What caused her to blurt it out like that? Was it the thought of being alone again? She wasn't sure, but she wanted to be around people again. For many months, she feared that everyone would turn into people like the ones back at the cabin. For all she knew these five people could turn out the same way. But she didn't care. She was tired of being lonely.

Beth reached out and hugged her neck. Surprised, it took Raven a second before returning it. In between happy whimpers, she said, "Thank you." It must have been horrible out there for her to be this grateful.

After gathering all of their belongings, they set out for Raven's home. Raven reluctantly had to lead the way alone, with the group trailing behind. She wished she could walk with them, ask them about their lives, and talk about what they like. _Just be patient. They'll be living with you from now on, after all. _She ventured on, listening to the cicadas' chirps and the crunching of the leaves under their feet.

She passed the big willow that indicated that they were almost there. Raven informed the group and they seemed pleased to hear it. After passing a bunch of more trees, she came across her clearing. In the middle of the clearing was her house.

The group stared at it with awe. It was nearly twice the size of a normal house and yet it was unscathed. Raven presented the house. "Home sweet home. It's been my home for all my life." Since they were already here, Raven killed off the two walkers they kept.

Carl was grinning without even knowing it. "How do you manage to keep it safe?"

She shrugged. "If you walk a little further down, it leads to a mountain. So basically this is the edge of the forest. Plus those fences are impenetrable by walkers. It'd probably take a hundred of them to do some damage." The iron fence was built thirty feet from all sides of the house. They approached the large gate, which had two S's carved into it.

Daryl poked at an S. "What's the S for?"

Raven's smile faltered. She couldn't really remember. For a minute she began to panic. Finally she it came back. "Shiva. My last name." This apocalypse had done more damage to her than she'd originally thought. If it weren't for that question, she would have lost her own identity.

Rick and Michonne were running their fingers on the fence. Michonne nodded, impressed. "This is pretty sturdy. It definitely wasn't cheap iron."

Raven unlocked the gates with two keys. It swung open and creaked softly. "Come on in, I have someone to show you."

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**Hey ya'll. Sorry if I've been using too many line breaks. The second I figured out how to use it, I just abused the poor thing! I actually wrote this chapter a long time ago. I thought about uploading last night, but it seemed a little late. Well, hope you enjoyed! Let me know if you're liking it so far! Also let me know what you think about the season 4 finale! (beware spoilers and plzz no comic book spoilers) ;) **

**~Beanie Wayland**

**P.S. SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 FINALE...**

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**Okay. What the heck. My poor baby Carl :O But anyways that finale was great. I was wondering how they would end this season, but make it different from the other finales. Did anyone feel the pang in their chest when you saw Beth in the flashback? :'( But Terminus doe... I knew they were psychos. I just hope everyone makes it out okay, but we all know Robert Kirkman isn't that generous. Time to wait six months for the next season!**


	3. Chapter Three: Shiva

Chapter Three: Shiva

They followed her through the front door. Just passing the doorpost, they already saw the beauty of the home. Carl was a bit curious about Raven's statement. "I thought you lived alone."

Raven put a finger to her lips. She said in a hushed voice, "Some people consider it alone. I don't. Stay here." She said to the group. She ran up the carpeted stairs. Just to pass time, they looked at the picture frames in the living room. Raven looked much younger and had long hair in many pictures. Carl noticed that she was the only kid in the family photos. _Just like me_. He thought. He tore his eyes from the frame and plopped himself onto the leather couch.

Meanwhile, Rick and Daryl were putting all the food cans onto the kitchen table. Daryl seemed distant and Rick stared him down until he noticed. "It seems a little wrong, now that I think about it. Seeing all these pictures and…stuff. This is her home. We're strangers to her. Takin' away the only place she can remember life before this hell, it's just…" He shook his head, unable to find the words.

Rick assured him with serious eyes. "We're not taking it away. I will respect her rules. If she wants us to sleep in the basement, fine. If she wants us to hunt every day, fine. We'll treat her just as we did with the people at the prison. We need each other."

Daryl still seemed unconvinced, but he continued unpacking.

Raven had overheard their conversation from the stairs and was happy to hear their words. She hadn't met such civilized people in forever. She thought about letting them stay for as long as they need, but it was only a thought. She still teetered on the edge of acceptance.

"Guys!" Raven's voice echoed with excitement. Immediately, they regrouped by the bottom of the stairs. She raced down the stairs and something was with her, making them step back a little.

It was a dog. A huge one. Its bark shook the earth. Raven rubbed the dog all over and it enjoyed the treatment. "Meet Lyra." It was almost three feet tall and over four feet in length. Carl and Beth stared with excited shock, while the adults were looking a bit uneasy. When Raven stopped rubbing her, she barked again, sending sonic booms across the room. Usually people jumped a little, but then again, these guys were used to hearing gunshots. "Lyra," She said with a warning tone, "these people are one of us now. Be nice to them, okay?" She turned to the group. "She's a crossbreed of Great Pyrenees and Alaskan Malamute. She's one of the smartest dogs around, so just give it a day for her to get to know you. But you'll be fine. If she senses dangerous people, she barks way more."

Beth asked hesitantly. "Is it okay if we pet her?"

Raven was used to people standing far away from Lyra as possible. "You're not afraid of being bitten?"

Carl knelt by them. "We're not exactly afraid of being bitten by _animals_ anymore." Raven agreed with him.

"Just messin' with you. I filled her up with food upstairs so she won't be eating any humans today. Go ahead then." Carl put out his hand first. Just as Lyra was about to let out another roar, Raven shouted her name. She settled down and bent towards Carl. He laughed a bit as Lyra bumped her head into his chest. He rubbed her white fur, which was unbelievably soft. Raven was glad to see him laughing again. Beth also scratched her back gently, seeming amazed by the texture.

Raven noticed Rick, Daryl and Michonne staring at them. Michonne asked her. "How long have you had her?"

Raven pushed back the memory of when she adopted Lyra with her parents. She wasn't ready to show her emotional side. "Four years, maybe five. She's obedient, so it's easy to teach her commands." She whistled a certain note, which made Lyra's head pop up. "Scoot up, girl." The dog followed her head motion and put its paws on Daryl's shirt. Even Daryl was almost pushed backwards by her. He and Michonne were playing with her now and she seemed to like them. _That makes life a lot easier._ Rick seemed fascinated, but hesitant to touch her. "Go on, it's okay." Raven encouraged. It was necessary for everyone here to get along. Rick knelt on one knee and smoothed back the white fur from the top of its head to its back.

He laughed lowly as Lyra turned, as if hinting where she wanted to be petted. When they were done playing with her, Raven finished the tour of the house. She had a total of four bathrooms, nine bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room and all the other kinds of rooms one could think of. It seemed like they had walked a mile just to cover the whole house. It was a few hours past noon when they were finally done.

* * *

A week or so passed, and they slowly knitted together. They took turns taking care of Lyra. Michonne and Daryl usually went out finding dry wood for burning. Rick and Carl tended to the garden at the back. Beth and Raven cooked the food. Raven used to work around twelve hours a day just completing these tasks. Now that she had company, that time was cut by more than half. She still was busy, though. When she and Beth finished making lunch and dinner, she'd disappear into the woods for a while. Out of respect, no one asked her why she went out every day. Everyone needs their fresh air.

Today, Raven had returned with an apple in hand. She waltzed into the living room and shrugged her jacket off. Carl was munching on a carrot as he came up to her and offered to take her coat. She resisted the urge to sigh with admiration. Even before the outbreak, most men weren't very 'gentleman-like'. She took another bite into the fruit. "You found an apple. Sweet." He smirked and found a hanger in the closet.

Raven smiled. She hadn't tasted an apple in months, and this one certainly didn't taste the greatest, but little things like this were her sanity potions. "Sweet indeed. I took the last one off the tree." She held it out for him. "Better take a bite before it's all gone."

Carl looked at Raven, just to make sure it was okay to just bite from it. She shrugged, as if it didn't matter, but her heart was beating fast from the inside. He crunched down on the juicy fruit and his mark overlapped Raven's by a tiny inch. Still, it was enough to make her stir inside. He chuckled and shook his head. "I don't even like apples." He licked his lips lightly. "But that one was delicious."

Raven's smile crept out of her. This boy seriously knew how to make her pink. She turned away and busied herself setting up the plates for dinner. "Hey…" She heard Carl say with a confused tone, "is this blood?" Raven saw him fiddling with the left sleeve of the jacket. "Is it yours?"

She walked over to him in attempt to seize her jacket before any complications arose. "It's no big deal-"

Carl took her left wrist and rolled up her sleeve. Though Raven tried to cover up her flinch, he saw right through it. A red scratched was uncovered on her forearm. "It isn't? Then how come the cut was deep enough for it to bleed through?"

Raven took her arm back. "Relax. I scratched myself on a branch while I climbed up to get the apple."

He stubbornly grabbed it again and examined the wound carefully, making sure it wasn't dirty to avoid infections. "C'mon, we should treat this." Carl rushed up the stairs, holding her hand until he had to open his doorknob. He went into his bathroom to find a health kit. Raven sat on the side of his bed and listened to the clattering noises in the bathroom. Before the zombies, this room was a guest room for boys. Whenever they'd have a family get-together, the guy cousins would sleep in this room. She must've unconsciously picked out this room for him.

Carl came back with a bandage roll and disinfecting wipes. Raven watched as he opened up a wipe and took her arm. "This is going to sting a bit, so…" He warned. Raven nodded and braced herself.

No matter how gently he did it, the scorching feeling of the alcohol seemed to sizzle in her forearm. "I…fucking _hate_ that." She said and let out a little laugh to relieve some pain.

He offered a sympathetic smile. "Is that what you used to say to your doctor?" He tightly wrapped the bandage on the wound.

"Nope. Back in the old society, cursing at our age would be considered 'barbaric'. It didn't make sense because adults could say curses all they want, but when one kid does, everyone loses their minds." Raven glanced at him and could have sworn his eyes had flickered away from her. "Like, not all kids need someone to hold their hand." She said quietly, almost to herself. "I could take care of myself just fine."

Carl bent down and ripped the bandage from the roll with his teeth. "I know you can. I've seen what you're capable of." He said. That's new. It was rare for anyone to understand how she felt when people shielded her. She found it difficult to keep eye contact with him. Maybe it was because they were inches away from each other, sitting on a bed…_alone_.

Raven hadn't notice how long she'd been staring at him, but when her mind refocused, he was finished tying the bandage and staring back at her. She prayed that Carl didn't hear the fast pounding of her heart. A tiny voice in her head whispered to her, _just lean in and kiss already! _

An image of Carl lying in a pool of blood flashed in her mind, making her jump to her feet. Carl stood up and reached out to steady her shoulders. She flinched away. "What's wrong?" He asked, completely bewildered by the suddenness. A frightened expression was plastered on her face. It was like she was staring into hell itself.

Her hitched breathing and shivering body concerned him. The image wouldn't leave her mind. She couldn't look at him. Raven barely managed to shake her head. She ran out of the room before he could say another word.

Raven flung her bedroom door open and shut it. Her knees gave way and she slid down against the wooden door. First, she slowed her heart rate down. She glanced at her forearm and saw a red trace already escaping the bandage. The fast thudding of pumping blood in her arm should've hurt, but she didn't exactly feel it. She buried her face into her small hands. Why couldn't she be normal for once? Why is it impossible to let anyone into her life?

Raven felt her eyes watering and immediately she pushed them down, something she trained herself to do. And inside, she asked herself the question that she'd had in her mind ever since she was alone. A question that she was too afraid to face. What does it mean to love? What does it mean to be loved?

* * *

The days that followed were silent ones between Raven and Carl. The routines continued on, except that Raven spent more time in the woods. When they all ate dinner together, the conversation revolved around Beth, Daryl, Rick and Michonne. Occasionally, they'd attempt to bring in the two. They'd answer, but left no room to carry the conversation on.

It was early morning yet again. Carl had already tidied himself up for another day of work. He came down the carpet steps and caught a glimpse of Raven as she went out the front door. They were aware that she stepped out every day, but lately she went out earlier. Carl stared at the floor and tried imaging what was going on in her mind. He had absolutely no idea what he did wrong. But it was blatantly obvious that he upset her in some way. He missed her. He missed talking to her, laughing with her, just being a kid with her. If he didn't fix this soon, the gap between them would become unrepairable.

Carl withdrew the curtain of a window and saw Raven closing the gate on the other side. When she was past the trees he silently slipped out the front door to pursue. After reopening and reclosing the gate, he sped into the forest. Now there was no sign of her anywhere. He walked further into the woods, looking for anything he could track. He found himself travelling on unfamiliar ground. After almost half an hour of no luck, second thoughts crept into his mind. Raven allowed them to stay in her home and now he was invading her private time. He shook his head. _No, stay focused. You are here to resolve this._

A sudden, faint shout abruptly stopped his thoughts. He crouched and swiftly navigated towards the noise. He hid behind a large, mossy tree trunk. Carl's ears detected walkers, their disturbing growls sounded a fair distance away. He pulled out his special gun with a silencer. He firmly grasped the weapon, the familiar texture lingering on his fingertips. After a deep breath, he crouched down low and spun around the tree. Sure enough, there were three walkers who attacked a poor person all at once. To Carl's surprise, in a split second, all of them dropped into the grass, their heads flying in different directions.

As the corpses fell, Carl found Raven standing in the middle, her two long knives in each hand. She was covered in red blotches everywhere. "Raven?" He called out to her.

Raven, completely caught off-guard, inhaled sharply upon catching sight of Carl. So shocked that she stumbled over a dead walker while she backed up.

Carl felt a pang in his stomach. She had that same fearful look that she gave him when she'd left his bedroom that day. He straightened up and strode over to her. It was when he actually saw the scenery that Raven was in that he stopped in his tracks.

Dozens, maybe a hundred, of dead walkers spread out as far as his eyes could see. And he couldn't help but look back at Raven, who was standing in between piled up rotten bodies.

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**Hello my lovelies :) So I called this chapter 'Shiva' obviously because we finally get to see the Shiva household. (Yep, you guessed it. Shiva is a pun for 'shiv'.) This is actually a pretty significant chapter…even though it's kinda short. And for all those worried about the 'vision' Raven had, it'll make sense if you've been reading carefully. Anywho, please keep me company in the reviews :3 I read all of them and they make me super happy. Thanks and love to all that support my story.**

**~Beanie Wayland**

**P.S. So wacha guys think about Hana? (Chandler's rumored GF. I think on his ask, he confirmed it) Personally, I ship them :) And I just want him to be happy (don't kill me pls).**


	4. Chapter Four: Sheer Cold

Chapter Four: Sheer Cold

Raven was still heaving from slaughtering the walkers. She was holding red stained stilettos that she recently retrieved from the heads. She watched intently as Carl walked past her, staring in utter disbelief at the amount of bodies scattered throughout the forest. She waited for him to say something and was terrified as to what would come out of his mouth. He spun to look at her slowly. His expression was no longer shocked, but rather concerned. "Are you alright?"

That was definitely not something she'd expected to hear at the moment. Not with everything else going on. She was drenched with rotten blood and a sea of corpses were surrounding them. And yet he starts with that. She couldn't help but ask, "Like…mentally?" He sighed a little at that and walked up to Raven. She was about to make a smart comment when he wrapped his arms around her.

Her own arms were aching to reach up to him, but were paralyzed with some form of confusion and fear. She wanted Carl to hold her for a long time. If she held him back, would she have another break down? She didn't wait to find out as her arms acted on their own, bringing him closer. Just feeling the racing of his heart against hers was enough to keep her mind away from fear. Away from her fear of losing everything again. It was the first time in forever where she felt peace of mind.

When Carl pulled away, she felt colder than ever. But when she saw the understanding in his blue eyes, warmth flooded into her cheeks. She felt stupid for not telling him anything. "I'm sorry, Carl. I didn't think you'd understand…"

"I do." He tucked a few strands of Raven's dark hair, which were sticking out of place, behind her ear. Even though she looked like a mess, it seemed he hadn't noticed a thing. Almost like all he saw was her; no blood, no dead walkers or any other distraction.

He was cut off at the sounds of growling from a distance. Raven had never hated zombies more than she did now. Carl pressed lightly against her back. "Let's head back." She saw that he was a bit disappointed too. But she nodded and walked next to him as walkers wandered into the area they left.

While they were heading home, Raven spilled everything to him. "You probably figured it out already, but every day I come out here and go on a walker-killing spree." She kicked at a stone and it hopped down the path. "Don't panic, all of those bodies you just saw were almost a week's worth of work. As amazing as I am, even I can't take down a hundred in one day."

"I wouldn't be surprised, actually. That would only be about fifty heads per knife." He reasoned and tapped at her weapons belt.

She shoved him off playfully and pretended to consider it. "I guess you're right." She said through a smile. She forced herself to change the topic back. "It's just…If no one's going to take them out, who will? There may be a cure that comes along, but how long would it take? Besides, that only applies to humans. Once you're a zombie, there's no going back." Carl winced at that. When Raven thought about it for the first time, she felt the same pain. But can a person with no lower limbs actually be able to breathe and think? It's impossible. It was the reality that no one could ever accept. "Every walker I leave alive has a chance of killing another person." She looked at Carl to see how he was taking it. She just realized that the blood from her shirt had smudged over him. "It's my ultimate dream," she said to him, "to rid this planet of those freaks." She laughed bitterly, but her words were the truth. "So that no one else has to suffer _that _kind of death." Raven's mind was flooded with images of people being ripped to shreds by teeth.

Carl must've seen the solemn expression on her face. "I never told you about how my mom died. But she died giving birth to my sister." Raven averted her eyes to the ground. "Before she died, she called me brave. But hearing that from you… you're braver than I ever was." His tone was serious and so was his expression. "She also wanted me to beat this world. And I plan on it. It'd be a lot easier if I had you."

They had made it to the clearing when they came to a stop. "It'd be my pleasure." Raven agreed. They stood there for a moment. Raven figured that he was thinking about what to say when they'd see the group. "Don't worry. I'll cover you." She chose her words carefully, still debating whether or not she would reveal to the rest of the group what she's been up to.

He nodded, but seemed like he was thinking about something else. "Yeah, but…" He pointed out the dark stains on Raven's shirt.

She'd forgotten to change clothes like she normally did. The difference was she could easily change when she was alone, but… "Turn around." She commanded.

Carl obeyed and stared at a tree trunk. He heard sounds of Raven unzipping her bag and taking clothes out. He felt compelled to peek, but he focused on the ragged lines of the wood. After what seemed like forever, Raven said with a slightly shaky voice, "Kay, you can look." He turned and half-expected to see her shirtless. But there she was wearing a black hoodie. "Let's go." She led the way as the teens came into the clearing.

When they got into the house, the first person they met was Beth, who was making soup in the kitchen. "Hey, where were you guys?"

"Carl was helping me hunt for a bit, but no luck." Raven sounded disappointed. Before she could spit out another question, she asked, "So how's lunch going?" Her eyes flickered to Carl, who was concealing his surprise on how good of a liar she was.

Beth stirred the mixture, looking proud of her work. "Everything's going great. It should be done in less than an hour."

"Awesome." Raven said enthusiastically as Carl gave her a final glance before going to the garden. She watched him until he went out of sight. She sighed and wished their jobs were a little closer to each other. But she can't be picky. She was glad that he was still around. Raven turned to Beth, ready to help clean up. Beth was giving her an interested look. "What?" She asked in a not-so-innocent way.

"He likes you." She smiled as she added a few parsley flakes.

One of Raven's specialties was being able to read a person like a book. But 'love' didn't fall into that category apparently. Maybe it's because love is a deception in many cases. Either way when it came to love, she was clueless. "Really?" She ended up asking,

"Trust me. You just gotta let him know." Beth encouraged as she covered the pot with a lid and crossed her arms. "I know you did more than just hunting. You guys look like you're finally back to normal." Raven forgot to consider that. She usually was perfect in covering all details. "I can see the way he looks at you."

Raven still didn't believe that he liked her in that way. It certainly seemed that he cared for her, but how much did he care? Either way, she was happy that Beth told her this. "Thank you."

Later on, Daryl and Michonne caught a baby deer. Daryl was able to shoot an arrow right into its eye. Michonne called him a show-off and he didn't deny it. When night fell, the group (and Lyra) decided to have a bonfire feast. The wind wasn't blowing that hard, it was a luxury they were going to take. Carl, Rick and Michonne were off finding more wood, which left Raven, Beth and Daryl to start the flames with the logs they had. After a few strikes of flint stone and steel, the sparks triggered an ember on the twigs. Beth tossed in leaves and branches to let the flames dance along the log.

Soon enough, the group re-gathered and they sat around the fire. They jabbed barbeque sticks through the deer meat and hung it over the flames. Raven had one hand over Lyra and the other roasting her food. They ate quietly, but not in awkward silence. "I'm sorry." Raven spoke out. Everyone turned to her in confusion. "I haven't been fair to you guys. You're all honest and open about yourselves, and I never tell you anything."

"You don't have to force yourself. We all have things that we don't want to say out loud." Michonne had a hint of sadness flicker in her eye.

"I need to get this off my chest. It's something that I haven't been able to tell anyone." Raven told her firmly. They nodded and waited for her to continue. "Well, actually, before I begin…" She quickly revealed how she slaughters zombies for fun. Well, not for fun, but…_unnecessarily. _They were freaked out quite a bit, but at least she let it out there.

"But that's just a small side note. I think it's time you learn something about me."

* * *

During the time when the infection started getting worse, I was staying at my cousin's house for her birthday. She, her name was Becky, was born December 22, so it was winter break. There was one night where a giant blizzard came in. It must have piled up two feet of snow. The power lines were snapped, so we had no electricity. The storm ended three days after it started. Becky, her parents and I were locked in for days afterwards. We could barely see outside. Everything was covered in snow.

We decided to finally get out of the house. Otherwise, we would just starve to death. It was windy as hell. It made it look like it was hailing, but it was just fallen ice flying around. My uncle, Dom, got a slash across the face from an icicle the second we left the driveway. There was no road or people in sight. The lumps of snow showed all the buried cars beneath. We were just trudging blindly through the coldness. We made it to the main street and still had no sign of people.

Then we saw someone at the far end of the street. He was wearing no coat, no hat, no gloves. I thought he was a psycho. 'It's freaking negative ten out here, he's insane'. That's what I said to my aunt, Sarah. Dom insisted that we asked him for help, since he's the only 'sign of life' we've seen in a week. We called out to him and he came closer to us.

It was when he got real close that we realized that he was an Infected. It was the first I'd seen in person. It pounced on Dom and he yelled at us, telling us to look away. Becky was already crying and Sarah had us in her arms, turning us around. Just hearing the screeching noises haunted me. I only turned for a split second and saw Dom smash its head on a lamppost.

I just couldn't process what the hell was going on. I began to think about how many people had died while they were at home. There were probably only fifty of them around at the time. How fast did the disease spread? My head was spinning; hearing Becky sob hysterically, staring at the red tainted snow, seeing both adults looking helpless. I then saw shadows approaching from down the street. I shook Dom to get his attention. They were trampling over the snow slowly, but their numbers frightened us. Dom pushed us forward and told us we should get back home.

The hail pellets were cutting away at our skin. We were going against the wind now. It was nearly impossible to see. Occasionally an Infected would lunge from the sides. Sarah and Dom shoved them off abruptly and they sank into the snow for a while. Their house was a still a block away. From behind me I hear Becky shriek. We all whirl around and see Becky fallen onto the snow.

An Infected popped out from the white ground. Before we could even move an inch, it chomped her shoulder right off. Sarah started screaming and Dom whipped out his pocket knife. Something overtook me then. I don't even know how I possibly moved that quick, but I tackled the Infected off of Becky. My fists were pounding its eyes and nose. Even when it stopped moving, I beat the shit out of it. I was bawling by the time Dom scooped me up. He let me on my feet and Sarah grasped my arm tightly. Even though in these situations, the kid was supposed to be comforted, but right then, she needed my comfort. Dom carried Becky on his shoulders and we were on the run yet again. My tears were quickly turning to ice and it burned like crazy. Before I froze myself to death, I choked the tears back. That's kind of how I don't cry anymore.

On the outside I was freezing, but on the inside I was stirring. I couldn't think straight, with all the panic going on. It didn't even occur to me that Becky would soon be dead; I was completely focused on getting away from the horde of dead people chasing us. I snatched the pocket knife from Dom and ran in front of them. He barely resisted, probably didn't realize because his hands were numb. Whenever a zombie would show itself, I stabbed its face several times. Each time, I had to scrape the blood off my face, which was already starting to crystallize. As time went by, the realization of losing Becky sank in. I take a look at her and she was as pale as the snow itself. And I was downright furious. Soon, it took me only one jab to kill a zombie. And it felt _good. _I kept thinking 'you may have killed one of us, but I'll kill hundreds of you'.

Fatigue was catching on, and I was feeling dizzy with dehydration. The last thing I remembered was a giant plow truck honking its horn and a wave of dark snow covered us.

I woke up in the front seat of a car and saw Sarah driving next to me. Her eyes were red from crying and exhaustion. When she noticed I was wake she hugged me with relief. She burst out into tears and it took her a while to answer my questions. We were on our way to Georgia to stay with my parents. And Becky and Dom were gone.

It took us a week to reach Georgia. When our car ran out of gas, we had to walk until we found one. When we found one, we were off track. When we were off track, it took us longer to get there. And obviously the threat of zombies and lack of food was a problem. But it was during that journey where I found my dual blades and taught myself how to kill. It wasn't pretty, but I'm glad I got through it.

We found my other aunt before we reached my house. She led us to her house, where most of the extended family lived, besides the ones who had died. I finally reunited with my parents and Lyra. I'll spare you the emotional details.

During this time, I trained with my other cousins how to fight. Two of my uncles owned a fight club, so they taught us some moves. Not to brag or anything, but I was the star pupil. Soon, I even surpassed my uncles. But it wasn't just physical skills I learned. I learned how to shoot, how to use knifes, how to make shivs, and a bunch of other combat skills. Soon I was allowed to hunt. I brought back twice the meat the others brought. In a way they sort of relied on me, and I didn't mind. If it meant risking my life instead of others, I was all for it.

One day I came back from hunting with my two uncles and heard a bunch of screaming and shots ringing from the house. When we got to the clearing, a horde of them were attacking. Half of my relatives were already bitten or still being eaten. I killed every Infected in sight. I nearly lost an arm three times. Even with the help of the most capable people, we were horribly out numbered. Slowly, we went down. Soon it was down to me, my father and Lyra. My mother was sprawled out on the porch steps. Her neck spilled out blood and her whole left leg gone. A bullet hole was carved in her head. I didn't even have time to scream. Dad yanked me away and shoved me away from the house. Lyra followed us, unscathed, but her white fur was splattered with red. He yelled at me to run, run as fast I could and as far from here as possible. The crowd of Infected was catching up to us extremely quick. Suddenly, I got pushed down the hill. For a few seconds, I roll and bang against the grass and rocks. I reach the bottom of the hill and see Lyra racing my way. I've never heard my dad scream, but somehow, I knew it was his. It was when the horde was nowhere in sight, when I realized what had been done.

I had to force myself not to turn back, but God, did I want to. I wanted to destroy all of those monsters. But I knew it was reckless and impossible. I knew nothing could undo what just occurred. So I ran off with Lyra and escaped.

* * *

"And…yeah, that's pretty much it." Raven clapped her hands together. The group just stared at her. Their expressions were mixed; incredulous, concerned, and sympathetic. The dying fire made low crackling noises (they would have kept it going if they weren't so absorbed into her story).

After a long period of silence, Daryl blurted out, "Damn."

… … … … …

… … … … …

**Hey! So that's chapter four. Boy, I am sleepy. But good news; I'm on spring break! Hopefully, this means more chapters if I can get my lazy fingers to type. Review and follow for more :) See you next chapter!**

**P.S. In the beginning of this chapter you see another one of Raven's weapons; stilettos. If you've ever seen ATLA, Mai has these weapons, which are basically small throwing knives.**


	5. Chapter Five: Luck

Chapter Five: Luck

Raven flung the Frisbee from her fingertips. The green circle soared into the air, perfectly flat. Lyra sprinted close and pounced into the air. She caught the disk (**this is a really random side note but when I tried typing 'disk' it came out as 'dick' and I couldn't stop laughing. Carry on**) between her fangs. Immediately, she raced back to her owner. Raven rewarded her by scratching her favorite spot; on the sides of her neck. "Good girl." But this is just light work.

Carl dragged the odd contraption out of the garage and into the driveway. It was an old pillow duct taped to a hat stand with four wheels. He stopped in front of Raven and Lyra. "So tell me why you need this… thing."

Raven jumped up from her crouching position. "This 'thing' is Lyra's training prop." She snapped her fingers, as if she just remembered something. She ran into the garage. Lyra nudged herself against Carl's side. He gave into her cuteness and rubbed her white fur. He admitted that Lyra intimidated him at first, but she is a sweet dog on the inside. Raven came jogging back, smiling mischievously. She had a duct tape and a sheet of paper in hand. She sloppily slapped the paper onto the pillow and taped it down. It was a picture of a pretty girl with curly brown hair. Her shirt drooped way lower than it should. Carl averted his eyes to Raven.

"Who is this supposed to be?"

"This," She whipped out a black Sharpie from the back pocket of her capris, "is a lustful hoyden that I abhor." Raven grinned as she drew a moustache and uni-brow onto the picture. When she was satisfied with her work, she capped the marker and stuck it back in her pocket. "This is one of the little things that give me joy."

Raven firmly held the hat stand and motioned Lyra to sit. She obeyed. Suddenly, she whistled, which caused her to spring up from her paws. Raven moved the stand around, teasing her. Lyra leaped into the air, eager to tear the pillow to shreds. She tackled the stand to the ground and ripped the pillow to pieces with her hone claws. Little pieces of newspaper flung out of the pillow case. Raven yanked it from under Lyra, before she destroyed the whole thing.

Lyra has probably killed more walkers than Carl had, which was understandable because Lyra was trained to fight them once the outbreak began, but he wasn't allowed anywhere near one until last year. Raven was reluctant to let her kill zombies at first, but with her power, she packed a real punch. Still, she only allowed Lyra to fight sometimes, in emergencies or for refreshment. She trained her to attack with her claws, rather than her teeth. Even though animals weren't affected by the disease, Raven didn't want her anywhere near a zombie's mouth. Not only skilled in combat, she has the ability to track; human, animal, or the dead. She was a useful dog indeed.

Raven took a broom and pan and began sweeping away at the scraps of paper. Carl yanked it from her gently and swept everything neatly and quicker than it would've taken for Raven. She snorted and said, "You know I have two hands too, right?"

Carl smirked back. "Just showing you how it's done."

Raven scoffed and rested a hand on her hip. "Oh really? Do you think you can show me how this is done?" She plucked up the green Frisbee from the floor and held it beside her head.

"Raven, you should know I'm hardcore when it comes to sports." Carl dumped the garbage into a container and rested the broom against the garage wall. He jutted his hand behind her head quickly and snatched the disk right from her hand. He sprinted off before she could slap him. Carl jogged over to the opposite side of the front yard, his hair bouncing all over the place, Lyra quickly catching up to him. Raven shook her head when she saw the huge grin on his face. And thus, the intense game began.

* * *

Sundown had passed and Carl and Raven were still outside on the grass of the front yard. Rick took Lyra inside and instructed that the teens go to bed in two hours. "Once a father, always a bother." Raven mumbled to Carl. He sat, using his palms to prop up against the ragged grass. Raven laid her head on his lap and stared at the black sky. It was silent, except for the sounds of crickets that filled the air. She liked being close to him and she prayed that he felt the same. Beth's words danced around her ears, _I can see the way he looks at you. _

She shivered just thinking about if they'd get together. Carl tilted his head and looked down at her amused. "What? Are you getting cold? We could go inside-"

Raven shook her head. "I'm fine, really." She wanted to tell him why she didn't want to go back. She'd never had such a difficult time spitting out her emotions. She'd always been straightforward with things. Oh the things Carl does to her. "Carl…were you happy before all of this?"

His lips parted with mild surprise. Perhaps she was too abrupt with that one? "Yeah. I did well in school and I was happy at home. I had a great childhood. Even if my family was small, just me, mom and dad, I was completely content."

Raven recalled that his mother died from giving birth to his sister. She chose her words carefully, "When did your sister come along?"

Raven couldn't see his expression. Hell, she could barely see the outline of his head in this darkness. "Maybe six months ago? Time is not really something I worry about anymore."

She scrunched her eyebrows in consternation. "Six months? She's a baby?"

"Was." Carl said, his tone suddenly solemn.

Raven stopped herself. _No. Don't say it. _The name spilled from her mouth as a barely audible whisper.

Carl suddenly jerked upright, nearly tossing her over. He caught her before she fell to the grass. He held a tight grip on her shoulders. "What?" Raven kept silent. Carl shook her with no gentleness. "What did you just say?" Even in the dark, she was able to see his chest heaving quickly. Her mouth was paralyzed and sealed. "Raven, _please…_" She was glad she couldn't see his pleading expression. It would've killed her to see him like that.

_Just lie. You're good at it. _That voice that followed her for the past year constricted her thoughts. She forced the voice out. "Her name…was it Judith?"

Carl couldn't contain his emotions. He was overwhelmed with hope. "Yes! Where is she? How did you know her?" He spat out questions before Raven could even process them.

Her words were spazzing out. Her tongue was twisted between lies and the truth. "I- I don't…"

Raven's shoulders were being squished by the eager boy. "Anything. Any information at all, please tell me." _Lie, lie, lie, lie… You know where this is going. More dead weight to bear. More pain and suffering. _"She's a part of my family, Raven." She tightly shut her eyes and begged that the voice would leave her alone. "She's all I have left of my mom!"

Carl's plea drove out the taunting thoughts in her mind. And then memories played. Memories about her mom. Memories about losing her and her whole family. Was she going to be so selfish, as to turn away from Carl when he was begging to be with his little sister? "Hell no." She muttered aloud accidentally. Before Carl could speak out in confusion she spoke with a firm tone, "I know where your sister is."

* * *

Raven had to force Carl to sleep. He insisted that they should leave immediately, that every second would be another opportunity of Judith being in danger. She stubbornly refused because it was pitch black outside and the risk was too big. After half an hour of back and forth arguing, Carl gave in. Raven pondered all night about how she was going to explain it, how to answer all the possible questions, what they were going to do. She was used to planning everything out before jumping into them.

The two teens were awake before everyone else. As usual, the group sat around the living room and kitchen for breakfast. Beth was playing a piano (which was in need of serious tuning) and humming. She sometimes was able to get Daryl to play a few notes, before he got frustrated and quit. Michonne was feeding and grooming Lyra. She seemed to have grown fond of her, which was pleasant for Raven to see. Rick was in the midst of sharpening his farm tools to maximize their efficiency. Carl and Raven were sitting up straight on a couch, looking very tense compared to everyone else.

Michonne was the first to notice. "You guys are quiet this morning. Something you wanna talk about?"

Carl agreed not to be the one to mention Judith. He glanced over at Raven to hear what she'd say. After a moment, she replied, "Actually, yes." Michonne was all ears, but the rest were still doing their own businesses. "I need to talk with all of you."

Beth's fingers let the melody cease and Daryl picked his head up from the arm rest of a couch. Rick also put his tools down and leaned against the door post of the living room.

Raven felt nerves creep into her. Almost like a chemistry test, all of the things she studied the night before were slipping away. But she clenched her fists and took a breath. "I may know where some of your group members went."

All the eyes on her went wide. Beth spoke out excitedly, "Seriously?"

"I saw a group of four, well, five people walking along railroad tracks a mile from here. But that was three weeks ago, probably a few days before I met you guys."

Daryl scratched the back of his head, not entirely convinced. "How'd you know it's one of us?"

Raven's eye flickered toward a tentative Carl. "I described what I could remember about their appearance to Carl last night." Her memory was failing on her. "What were the names…?"

Carl spoke for her. "She may have seen Tyreese, Mika, Lizzie and Carol." Raven saw the sparks of interest, especially in Daryl's eyes. Carl explained the story behind Carol to her yesterday. She was very reluctant in searching for her, she definitely didn't want a murderer in her house, sickness or not, but the deal had already been set.

Rick rubbed his chin, wanting to be hopeful, but his words were of the devil's advocate. "There's a good chance that they were strangers. It depends on how accurate their descriptions were-"

Michonne cut in with a sudden thought. "I thought there were five people that you saw."

This is it. This is the information that would push this group to go out of her comfort zone. She continued anyway. "You're right. There was only one name that I heard. And it was of the baby that the man held in his arms." Rick perked his head up and his expression was softer than Raven had ever seen. "The baby's name was Judith. I'm absolutely sure about that."

Rick rubbed his red face in his palms. For a second, Raven thought he was tearing up, but he was smiling in relief. Carl went over to him and they shared a comforting embrace. Rick was stifling out tiny laughs, like he couldn't believe it. Michonne, Beth and Daryl's faces were unlike anything Raven's ever witnessed. They were overwhelmed with happiness and relief. Weeks ago, they were convinced that everything and everyone was gone. Destroyed. Maybe for a little while, they had a tiny ember of hope that they'd find survivors, but that fire died out days later. Now Raven had proven that people _had _survived and Rick and Carl have a chance to reunite with their family. More like the whole group was going to reunite with their family. Not of blood, but of love and trust. Raven could already tell their bonds were strong.

Raven restored them.

"Well what're we doin' sitting on our asses? Let's move." Daryl hopped to his feet and quickly prepared for the search.

* * *

An hour later, they were ready to go. Raven decided to take Lyra this time. Lyra was key in tracking these people down.

Daryl came out of the garage in a red minivan. It was one of the two cars that Raven has. Both of them were in horrible shape before the group came. Only the red car was completely repaired. She obviously never used it because she didn't know how to drive. However, if she went on supply runs and happened to come across gas she took it. She intended to teach herself one day, but even in a chaotic world, procrastination rules all. Daryl drove out of the gates and pulled up beside everyone. He opened his door and waited for Rick's call.

After Raven triple-locked the gates, she handed her worn-out map to Rick. The group formed a huddle around him. He pointed a finger at a spot to the left of a red 'x', which was her house. "The railroad runs through here. It's not that far off. But they could be anywhere by now; it's been weeks."

Michonne rested a hand on her leather sheath. "We'll have to search the whole proximity and hope we get lucky."

That's the thing Raven hated about this journey. It relied on a lot of luck. There's a chance that the group would happen to skip over their location. There's a chance that the five people were already miles away. There's a chance that they all died a few hours ago. Nothing's for certain. But Raven was determined to find them. She wasn't going to go through all of this trouble for nothing. She looked over at Carl who was intensely studying the map. Raven definitely didn't want to disappoint him.

"We'll search for as long as it takes." Beth said firmly. Rick folded the map and motioned for everyone to get into the car. Rick and Michonne took the front, of course, which left Beth and Daryl in the center seats and the two teens in the back. Lyra sat in between Beth and Daryl, her tongue hanging out as she looked around, confused. The engine roared to life, a sound almost unfamiliar to Raven, and they took off.

**… … … … …**

**… … … … …**

**Meh, sorry if this chapter sucked. :P Wasn't feelin' it today...but I wanted to put something up. Thanks (and thanks in advance) to all who are still supporting this story! I'll try not to make you bored :O**

**~Beanie**


	6. Chapter Six: Looking

Chapter Six: Looking

The hardest part of driving was going to be getting out of the forest to the town. For a while, Rick was able to travel along the small road that started from her house's gates, but to reach the destination using minimal gas and time, they needed to cut though the grassy forest. Rick had to drive below 10mph to make sure he didn't hit any trees. He jerked the wheel left and right, flinging the passengers against each other. Raven was already feeling fuzzy in her stomach.

Michonne put a hand on Rick's arm. "Wait." Walkers rose from the ground, ripping the overgrown vines that draped over them.

Everyone began unbuckling their seatbelts. "Daryl, Michonne and I can handle this. Rick, keep driving. Chances are there'll be more of them coming." Raven commanded. She stretched over Carl and rolled out of Daryl's door. Beth held onto Lyra so she wouldn't follow Raven.

Before she could shut the door, Carl's hand was there. "Why don't you want me to help?"

"It's not necessary." _And I don't want you getting hurt._

"You shouldn't have to risk your life at all. These are our people we're looking for." Raven's strength wasn't enough, as he squeezed through the gap of the car door. Raven was about to shout, but he already scurried away. She felt irritation flood into her face. Her ears perked up to the screeching noise behind her. Raven pushed the incoming walker to the tree and drove her right dagger down its skull.

Raven and Michonne guarded the front while Daryl and Carl took the sides. They hurried along, with the car following right behind. A walker dragged its half-body towards them. Raven struck its head with her dagger. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Michonne slice away at the walkers gracefully. She glanced back at Carl who had put a walker down with his knife. Daryl was plucking up his two used arrows from the corpses.

The car bumped up and down over the mini hills. "They're coming from the left." Carl informed them. Raven left the front to Michonne and joined Carl. She took out two with one swing, and their lifeless bodies dropped. Only a few more were left. Suddenly, she spotted a walker heading towards them. Normally from such a far distance she wouldn't worry. But something was very different about this one.

It was charging full speed at her. Raven barely saw the walker pounce on her. The air was knocked right out of her chest as they landed, her back scratching along the pointed rocks. Her blade was long gone as the walker pinned her down. She held it back by pushing its shoulders away. It snapped at her face savagely, drops of blood fell from its mouth and onto sweater.

Its head jerked to the side and it lay limp beside her. Raven quickly scrambled backwards away from the monster. Hands seized her body from behind. She shrieked and wrestled from its grip, swinging her fists at random. "Relax!" A familiar voice shouted.

She didn't even get the chance to say Carl's name. He lifted her up in his arms and ran towards the car. A walker lunged from the left. Raven kicked its face away with her boot. Two more were blocking their way. Raven's eye was hit with a bright reflection coming from Carl's belt. Her right blade.

She reached for it with her left hand while her right drew its pair. She hopped out of Carl's arms and sprinted at the two zombies. Raven had to jump to stab both walkers. They stumbled to the ground and her feet landed on their chests. She yanked her weapons out and they proceeded to the vehicle.

Daryl's head popped out of the window. "Get in!" He shouted. The door flung open and Raven and Carl dove in. A walker stuck itself in between the car and the door. Carl drove his knife into its head and kicked its face out. He slammed the door and the car jerked forwards.

At first, Raven expected to hit a tree trunk. But when she opened her shut eyes, they were driving on a cement road. She restlessly turned to the back window to see if they were following them. The walkers were left behind.

"You okay?" Raven whirled and Carl was leaning against the door. He had a red scratch below his left eye. Raven briefly remember her nail scraping something when she felt herself grabbed.

She nodded, but wanted to say more. She reached up and lightly ran her thumb over his cut, smudging away the blood. "Sorry, about that…"

Carl took her hand and put it down gently. "Don't worry about it."

She looked around and everyone was still there. Raven's heart rate was able to stabilize. When this happened, she began to think. "Actually, I think I need a minute."

When the walkers were no longer visible, they came out of the car. Raven sat beside the faint yellow lines of the road. Lyra approached her and curled up against her leg. She hasn't felt so overwhelmed by walkers since the day she lost her family. She rubbed her aching back and tried to process what she saw out there. She didn't even realize the group watching her.

Beth bent down next to her. "What happened out there?"

Raven looked at all of them, who were waiting on her explanation. How was she supposed to explain what she didn't understand? "There was an…_abnormal_ walker. I've never seen anything like it. It came sprinting at me." They exchanged concerned and confused looks. "It was probably twice as fast as a normal person. That should be impossible."

"There was only one of 'em?" Daryl questioned. Raven nodded and waited for what they would say.

They were horrified by the idea of a new mutation of zombies, who had such incredible speed. No one wanted to believe there were more of them.

Rick spoke. "Then until we can get more information on this, we all should be twice as careful. There's nothing that can be done as of right now." They silently agreed on this. "Let's stay focused on finding the others."

Carl helped Raven onto her feet and they prepared to start driving yet again. But Raven saw something approaching down the road. They were running fast on the pavement. _More of them. _Raven's thoughts hissed. She whipped her blades out of her sheaths and matched their speed. It was when she drew near that she realized they weren't walkers.

The two people cowered behind their hands. Raven was already in the air. She resisted slicing them and rolled between them. She pointed her daggers at their heads, and they backed away in fear. Two grown adults afraid of a teenager. Raven's old, icy tone took over. "Who are you?" She almost stopped midsentence when her eyes stopped on the bundled blanket in the man's arms. Her eyebrow raised in realization.

"Oh my God." The lady said, her words muffled by the hand that clamped over her mouth. The man and woman saw Raven's group running over to them. She came to Daryl first and embraced him with joy. Raven was shocked to see the small wince Beth had in her eyes.

The man came up to Rick and Carl, who were unable to contain their happiness. He handed over the blanket bundle and a baby's head popped up from the cloth. Rick kissed the head and held Judith tightly in his arms. Carl, who was beaming at the long awaited reunion with his sister, took and cradled her in his grip. The man shook Rick's hand. "It's good to see you."

Rick smiled and patted his shoulder. "Same to you, Tyreese."

Raven stared at the ground while they all greeted each other. The only one beside her was Lyra who was snarling deep in her throat. Raven rubbed her thick, white fur and assured her that these were good people. But she couldn't find the energy to smile. Raven imagined herself coming across her own family. Her parents would be waving to her in front of her house. Becky and her parents would be with them too. Raven's own stupidity disgusted her. _They're together all right. In a place that I can never reach._

Her old reluctance to people crept in. She blamed herself for being so undecided; she wanted Carl and the group to find their people, but at the same time she didn't want her circle to get bigger. Now that she thought of it, there were only three of them, when she had seen five before.

Beth said to Tyreese and Carol. "Where are Mika and Lizzie?"

The names seemed to strike an arrow into their chests. Carol's eyes were filled with sadness and grief. She was unable to say anything, for she'd probably tear up midsentence. She shook her head, indicating their fate.

Carl was the most shaken up. He wasn't particularly close to them, but he was the closest compared to the rest of the group. He recalled playing soccer with them and Patrick. Though Carl didn't particularly like Lizzie and Mika back then, when they were naming the walkers at the prison fence, he wished they hadn't died. It seemed like every kid he meets dies. When this thought came across his mind, he nervously glanced over at Raven, who was looking left out. He never thought about what would happen if she died. She was just so capable of herself, it just didn't seem possible for walkers to be her end. But if something happened to her…

Raven noticed Carl's gaze and gave a tiny smile. He pushed his ill-thinking away and grinned back.

Michonne headed over to Raven and Lyra. Carol and Tyreese were stunned when they caught sight of the enormous dog that looked more like a wolf. Michonne put a hand on her shoulder. "This is Raven. The only reason we were able to find you guys was because she saw you in the area a few weeks ago." Raven waved at them, but decided not to say anything.

Of course, this was followed by gracious thanks. Tyreese said to Carol, "I guess it was a good thing we didn't leave for Terminus until today."

Terminus. The name rang a familiar bell in Raven's ear. It was the supposed sanctuary miles away in distance. Obviously, she never felt the need to search for it. Beth turned to them. "Terminus? You were on your way there?"

Tyreese nodded. "Yeah. We've been following these tracks since a few days ago. We think there's a good chance of peace there."

Daryl slung his crossbow over his back. His eyes squinted from the harsh sunlight. "Looks like we all were." He hand motioned to everyone. "Me and Beth were headin' there before we ran into Rick's group. They were headin' there too."

Rick was thinking silently to himself the whole time. But he spoke now. "Since three out of our three groups saw Terminus signs and followed them, I think there's a pretty good chance that the rest of the prison group went too." This they all figured out, but they waited for Rick on his judgment. "I say we have a look. We can decide from there if we stay or not."

After Rick realized what he declared he looked over at Raven who had a hardened expression. Rick didn't mean for it to sound like that. She had a voice tinted with sarcasm, but she was becoming a little intolerant towards this situation. "So basically you're gonna leave my house, peek into Terminus and see if your friends are there and if not, or you don't like it, you'll just knock on my front door?" They all couldn't answer, ashamed of her truth. She was irritated that they thought of her home as just an emergency shelter.

After a while of silence, Raven and Lyra began making their way to the red car. Carl's steps came after her. It wasn't long before he said. "We weren't going to leave you alone. We're not that kind of people."

Raven stopped walking. _So that's why. I just don't want to be alone again. _But for some reason she didn't want to give in. "It's not that, Carl." She said 'Carl', but she was talking to the whole group. "I don't want to go." She corrected herself. "I can't go. This isn't what the prison was to you guys. This has been my home my whole life. My home and Lyra are all I have. I know it's selfish, but if you still had your own home, wouldn't you want the same?"

She scanned their faces and remembrance was painted all over them. Raven knew she pulled the memory string and to prove her point, she needed to make them feel pain. Rick slowly came up to her. His face was blank when he asked, "Do we matter to you?"

Raven, caught off guard, said quickly, "What?"

Rick repeated himself. "Do we matter to you?"

She remembered asking herself this the first few days she let the group stay in her house. Obviously, back then her answer was no. The question never came up again. But maybe it was because she knew the answer. Raven wanted these people safe now. "Yes."

Rick's eyes were clear as day and he spoke with stern sincerity. "Then I swear on my life, we will be back in one day. It could be the safest looking heaven on earth. But I swear we'll just check if anyone we know is there and then come straight back."

Raven wanted to believe him. He always made promises with these intense gazes. It would be hard to think he was lying. So she trusted him. "Okay."

He patted her shoulder with assurance. Rick walked past her and everyone gradually followed him. Raven trailed behind with Lyra and tried zoning away from their conversations. They were chattering and giggling about something. She knew she should talk along with them, but she wasn't in the cheeriest of moods.

Somehow, they managed to squeeze into the minivan. There were nine of them, ten including the ginormous **[Okay, is ginormous not a word or am I spelling it wrong? This is the third time I tried to use it and its red underlined!] ** wolf-dog. Raven, practically sitting on Carl, looked out her window to distract herself. As time passed, her craned neck ached and she turned around. Carl had been caressing Judith in his arms and staring at Raven the whole time.

Carl said lowly, so no one else would hear him. "You're ignoring me."

She shrugged and replied with an equal volume. "I'm ignoring everyone."

They reached the forest path and retraced their tire tracks back to the house. They needed to get the second car if they wanted to fit the rest of the survivors. They didn't have any idea of how many people were actually at the prison; it could've been twenty or forty.

"Why?" Raven gave him an obvious look. He went on, "My dad is a man of his word, trust me." The car jerked left suddenly. Carl used a free arm to brace Raven from flinging away.

She wondered if the heat she felt on her face was visible. "I _do _trust you." She looked him straight in the eye. This she knew. Even though he was the youngest and rashest, Raven trusted him the most, or at least wanted to. "You know me, I have trouble accepting people at first. I want your people to be safe, but I can't bear to see any deaths." She stared at her hands and wondered how much blood she had shed just to protect herself.

Carl knew that she had trouble actually attaching herself to people. She was generous at first, but he saw that she didn't want people around. He remembered that time in his room that she sped out. "We've been on the road before, we're not completely helpless, you know." "Raven, no one will blame you. The kind of deaths you think of- those are accidents. They're not your fault."

She clenched her fists on her knees. Raven _knew _all of that. Yet she still has a way of connecting it to herself. When Becky got bit in the snow, she could've been walking next to her and managed to save her life. When her dad sacrificed himself so that she could escape, she could've scrambled back up that hill and saved him. When she was alone with all the time in the world she thought about this billions of times. "I have a problem, Carl." She finally said, exasperated. She raked her hand through her hair and leaned against the armrest. "I know, I do." Loneliness didn't make her fearful of befriending people. Death did.

Carl wanted her to lean into him. He wanted to stroke the back of her head and tell her it was okay, that his group was capable of defending themselves. If he weren't carrying Judith, maybe he would've, but he restrained himself.

Just then, the car came to the clearing of the mansion, except there was something different about it from when they left. There was another van parked on the front lawn in front of the gates. Three people were evaluating her home. Her home.

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**Hey! I managed to squeeze in a chapter before Easter. I might edit this later on, but I'll let you know. I am feeling super lazy so I didn't proofread. The next chapter will be kinda epic, so be ready! Follow/Review if you haven't, please. Thanks, ya'll! Happy Easter! (If you celebrate it)**

**~Beanie Wayland**


	7. Chapter Seven: Dead

Chapter Seven: Dead

Rick's grip on the wheel tightened and his knuckles went white. He hissed under his breath. "Shit." Raven resisted bolting out of the car and slicing all of their heads off where they stood. There was no turning back now; one person caught sight of their red car. Rick pulled up on the opposite side of the gate's driveway road as close to the gate as possible.

Carol turned to him. "What should we do?"

He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Don't pull out any weapons yet, but have them ready." He commanded Carol directly. "Take Judith and make sure she's hidden." Carl let her take Judith. She had been taking care of her for weeks; naturally she'd be the better 'mother'. "Stay with these three," he pointed at Raven, Carl and Beth, "and Lyra. Don't come out until I say so." Before any of them could object, he shut his door. The others followed shortly after.

Everyone still in the car shifted to the left side to see what was going on. The voices were muffled and Raven couldn't understand a thing. By the low volume, she figured nothing too bad was happening. Soon, five more people spilled out of the van. The guy with the blue cap, standing closest to Rick and was the person speaking so she assumed it was their leader, folded his arms and had a twisted look.

Raven was trembling with anger. She wasn't about to let anyone else into her home. Her fervor of driving them off made her stand up. She was going to slaughter all of them. Carl quickly took hold of her and sat her back down. She was glaring at him, but in a few seconds, she was grateful he'd stopped her.

The leader's voice rose to a shout. His face turned red momentarily, but it passed. Raven could tell that this guy was unstable and he and his people won't leave unless they get something in return. Still she sat listening as their conversation led to an argument. Suddenly, it went quiet.

The blue cap man whipped out a gun and shot at Rick. Raven and Carl jumped at the sound. He ducked in time for the bullet to fly past. And there were shots fired on both sides. The invaders hid behind their car as Rick yelled something in Raven's direction.

Taking the cue, she hopped out of the car and plucked up two stilettos from her boots. Before one person could pull his trigger, Raven flung her knives. They struck his knuckles and pierced through them and his gun fell to the ground along with himself. A white blur rushed past her. Lyra pounced on one of the gun men and dragged her claws over his eyes. She pinned him to the ground and tore at his face. Raven sped to the gates and quickly began unlocking the padlocks.

The whole group formed a semi circle around her as she undid them. She tried ignoring the thundering shots behind her head. With sweaty and shaky hands she finished the last lock. She thrust the gate open and shouted. "Get in!"

Not turning their backs on the enemy, they backed onto the house property. When everyone was in, Daryl quickly reclosed a lock and they scurried for cover behind the front porch.

Rick shouted at Tyreese, Michonne and Daryl over the gun fires, "Get the second car ready." Without hesitation, they sprinted for the garage. Raven didn't like that command. She wasn't leaving here. Rick jabbed a finger at her and Beth. "You two, take Judith and Lyra and find weapons, as much as you can. They have reinforcements and they'll be here any second." Beth took a crying Judith from Carol and ran inside. Raven took a quick glance at Carl, who was shooting at the invaders and ducking behind a porch brick pillar. Their eyes met for a split second before she went into the house.

Beth's footsteps were upstairs, probably rummaging through Rick's stuff to find his duffle bag of guns. Raven ran to her room and paused in front of her second closet that she hadn't opened in months. She swung the door open and piles of weapons were revealed. She shoved everything she could into bags and her eyes rested on a weapon she knew as 'Last Resort'. She'd never thought she'd need it.

Meanwhile, Carl was reloading his gun as quick as he could. The bullets were aimed towards his group, but occasionally they'd stray and shatter a window. He cocked his weapon and whipped around, daringly lifting his head over the brick cover. He fired and saw his target spurt out blood. He saw Carol give him a fearful look as he shot more.

Two trucks pulled into the clearing. People's heads stuck out of the windows and fired at the house. The deafening sounds of guns became even louder. Carl noticed that more bullets were flying towards the gates rather than his group. He screamed across the porch to his dad. "They're aiming for the lock!"

Carol and Rick noticed and were trying to figure out what to do. They knew they couldn't keep up protecting the gates forever. Beth ran up to Rick with a bag of artillery. Carl saw her and stopped firing. "Where's Raven?"

"Upstairs." She answered. A crackling boom came from above and a chunk of the front lawn blew up. The invaders yelled in confusion as another shot came down and struck a guy in the chest.

Raven took her eye out of the sniper lens to blink. She rested the rifle on the edge of her bedroom window, a perfect spot on the third floor. She was getting the hang of it. It put a bit of pressure on her, just learning to use it now. More trucks were flooding into the area. She began shooting again, every other bullet hitting someone. A cloud of dust was forming at the gates and she saw the busted lock fall to the ground.

_Oh God, this isn't happening. _Voices of panic filled her head. She shot blindly at the trucks and people who were inching closer. The invaders crashed through the gates and fired at the porch. Carl and the others were still there. Raven gritted her teeth and pointed her gun downwards, raining bullets on the windows of the trucks and the people's heads.

Someone pointed a finger in her direction. The guns sent bullets at her. She jumped from the window as glass shattered down. She heard buzzes fling past her ear and a sudden searing feeling grazed her shoulder. Raven fell backwards onto the floor, her left arm burning up as if it was touching hell itself. She screamed and scrunched her shirt up with her right hand, not that it released the pain. She examined her arm sleeve and red began to spread in a circle. Blood dripped from her mouth, where she'd bitten her lip. She heard stomps running up stairs and she rolled behind her bed.

She watched the still figure standing in the middle of her doorpost. The boots slowly came closer towards the broken window, which was in front of her.

He stopped and reached over to pick up the rifle. When he'd come close, he noticed two drops of blood on the wooden floor. He picked his head up slightly and saw a slit-eyed girl crouching beside the bed.

Raven rammed him into her banister, knocking down the lamp and mirror. The man came down on her head with the butt of the gun. She backed up and the floor shook beneath her. His foot connected with her chest and she slammed into the wall. He flung himself at her, just as she pulled out a stiletto. She drove it into his skull and his immobile body collapsed on her. Raven barely managed to drag herself out from underneath his weight.

When she stood, another person stood in the doorway. He saw his friend's blood sprayed all over her shirt. "Bitch!" He charged towards her. She felt her back press against the wall.

His head dropped to the ground, followed by his body. Michonne shook the blood off of her sword and took hold of Raven's hand. Michonne scooped up the sniper and impatiently tugged her out of the room. "C'mon, we need to get out of here."

Raven jerked away. "What? No! No, I'm not giving up- I'm not leaving."

Michonne was not kidding around. She strutted towards the girl. "We need to leave!" Michonne lurched to take hold of her, but Raven ducked under her, ready to continue fighting. Michonne latched onto her backpack and clutched her shoulders violently. "Wake up!"

Raven gasped in pain and she hastily released her. Her hands came back wet with blood. Her left shoulder was bleeding through her shirt. Michonne's tone changed slightly. "Your arm… You can't fight like this-"

Raven drew her two blades. "Watch me." She sprinted from Michonne and jumped down the stairs.

Beth was struggling with a man who had a knife to her throat. She was using all her strength to keep the sharp point away from her skin. A knife stuck his wrist and he doubled over in pain. While he cursed and yelled, Beth retrieved his fallen knife and dug it into his neck. She rarely caught a glimpse of Raven, who ripped out her stiletto from his hand. She passed right by her and ran towards the front door. Lyra, whose white coat of fur was splattered red, joined her side.

She jumped over the broken would and specks of glass. She reached the porch and saw dusty air hovering over the battlefield. Carl and Rick were still holding off as many people as they could, but at opposite sides of the porch.

Why had they not realized people entering the front door? And where the hell was Carol? Her grip on her knives hardened. She whistled a note and Lyra snarled her teeth. Raven dove into the dust cloud. Her eyes would only be open for a few seconds before they teared up.

Lyra's thunderous bark rang in her right ear. Immediately, Raven lunged right. She smacked into a woman and they pummeled each other to the ground. Her two blades pierced into the woman's eyes. Raven was on her feet again, not the slightest bit phased. Lyra's barks sounded again. Raven charged at whatever she saw first, which happened to be legs. She cleanly sliced them off and the guy screamed in a hoarse voice. She quickly plunged a blade into his forehead to end his misery. _Maybe I should've left him, so that he could suffer along with me. _Her conscience whispered.

The barks were ringing for a while, but she didn't hear it. What snapped her out of it was the sight of Lyra dragging her jaw into a crying man's face. She ran over to her dog when something latched onto her hand.

Raven stumbled backwards and shook her hand violently. Then she saw it was a boy wearing a sheriff hat. "Carl…" She whispered with disbelief. She couldn't believe he'd stepped over the porch. His face was now sliced up and dirty.

He tugged her hand along with him as they and Lyra ran back into the house.

"Carl, let go. I need to get back there." Raven pleaded. "They're gonna destroy this house if I don't stop them." Her voice cracked and she tried planting her feet.

For a second they stopped moving. Then the realization hit her. She looked into her living room, the couches were toppled over and the piano was cracked in two. None of the windows had glass anymore. Several bodies piled up in every room. Her knees watered and so did her eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Carl's voice said softly, his head pressed onto hers. Raven's knives almost slipped out of her grip. She felt like her pre-apocalypse self resurfacing. She was lost and terrified. She was losing a part of her life right before her eyes.

Carl pulled her down the stairs and Lyra raced with them. A man was breaking down one of the doors, when he heard them coming down the stairs. Carl buried a bullet into his brain. It was as if Raven hadn't heard a thing. He quickly led her to the garage door. He rapidly tapped the door in a certain rhythm.

Tyreese opened the door and shoved them inside. "Go, go, go!" They scrambled towards the car. Daryl and Rick were completely focused on the hood of the blue truck. Carol and Michonne were passing tools left and right. Beth opened the door and motioned for Carl and Raven to get in. Carl helped Raven into the car first.

Carl noticed with a pang in his chest. "Where's Judith?" Beth pointed to the front seat, where the baby sat. He felt cold relief after seeing his sister.

Suddenly, the hood of the car was shut. The group was piling into the car. One invader found his way into the garage. Daryl's arrow struck his head before he could do anything. Rick started the car and Daryl yanked the garage door up. Rick backed up fast, causing all of the passengers to lurch forwards. Bullets were already hitting the car.

As soon as the car was out, Daryl hopped into the truck. He was helped over by Beth as Rick spun the truck around. Tyreese put the barrel of his gun outside his window and fired at the invaders, trying to make a path for them to escape. Carl, Carol, Beth and Daryl did the same, struggling to aim while the truck rocked back and forth.

Suddenly the bullets ceased from the attackers. Raven glanced past Carl's window and saw the walkers wandering into the area. They surrounded the whole plain on all sides. The invaders began to retreat towards their vehicles, shouting obscenities.

An unfamiliar shaking of the ground arose. Beth braced herself against her passenger door. "Earthquake?" She breathed heavily with panic.

The tall, thick pine trees in the far distance tumbled over in a jagged line. A horrifying uproar, ten times the volume of Lyra's bark, echoed amongst the trees. The birds that had hidden in the forest for years fled in fear.

An eight foot tall monster was charging on all fours. It unknowlingly trampled over walkers, sending some flying. Its feet stomped over the invader's trucks and the blood of the squashed people sprayed outwards. The thudding of the earth shook everything and Rick slammed his foot on the gas.

They sped out of the gate a second before the monster knocked it away. Raven stared with horror as it picked up human bodies, dead and alive, and ripped their flesh in its teeth. _It couldn't be…another kind of infected. _Raven couldn't get the thought out of her mind. _It doesn't even look human!_

Someone inside the car was sputtering curses, but Raven didn't turn to see who it was. She was watching her home, now chipped and shattered, getting further away. She was watching the walkers tear people to shreds on her front lawn. She watched the giant walker crushing the invaders in its palms. Several remaining invaders ran into her home to protect themselves from the hordes. The pack of bodies trampled through the windows.

Everything that Raven never thought would happen happened.

Before they got too far, Raven rummaged through her backpack. She plucked out her Last Resort. It was a loaded grenade launcher. She rubbed her finger over it and took a deep breath.

Abruptly, she busted a car door open and rolled out, feeling a tear in her shoulder.

She ignored Carl's shouts as she aimed at the biggest herd of walkers. She squeezed the trigger and the first grenade exploded along with a truck. Blood rained over the plain and the crumpled, flaming car rolled on top of more walkers and humans. The large walker let out a screech and angrily charged in her direction.

She aimed her second grenade at the body of the monster. The next thing she knew bits of its meat dispersed in midair. It collapsed onto the ground, immobile at last.

Raven exhaled a breath she held in for a long time. She got up and thought about leaving right then and there.

But for a moment, she watched strangers die and get torn apart on her own property. Her house was in shreds, tiny flickering flames becoming visible, and her iron fence was lodged into the top floor.

This was the last time she'd be able to see her house. And this was how she saw it. If she'd ever pass by again, she didn't want to see a single block of wood standing. She couldn't quite grasp the reason why, but the working part of her mind told her to do it.

For the last time, she pointed the launcher at her home. Raven's memories of family that hadn't crossed her mind in forever were already beginning to overwhelm her. But she pulled the trigger anyway.

And in that second, the Shiva house was no more. Ashes of pictures, furniture, clothes, flooring- everything was in the air, making it hard for Raven to breath, see and think. She watched through slit, red eyes as her house crumpled to the ground. Her body was numb and she found herself kneeling on the ground.

A walker dropped beside her head, a bullet hole in its ear. How she wished that bullet hit her's. Arms scooped her up and carried her back to the car. More hands dragged her into the car and she felt her face press against someone's shirt as the cark jerked forwards. The barks of a dog at her side were all she heard before she fell into a black void.

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**That's a wrap on the Shiva house, folks. Next chapter will be the last one. I'm still debating on whether I should continue the story, but I have an ending planned out. Thanks for reading and reviewing as always :) **

**~Beanie Wayland**


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